FAMILY COCCINELLIDAE

This page contains information and pictures about Orange-spotted Ladybird Beetles
that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia

Body length 5mm

The ladybird beetle is dark green in colour with six orange dots on wings
cover.

We found this ladybird on a Citrus plant in Mt Coot-tha Botanic Garden on
early Summer. Dan Papacek (Bugs
for Bugs) kindly sent us email advised that this ladybird is probably the Parapriasus
australasiae.

Black Scale Parasaissetia nigra andPink Wax Scale Ceroplastes
sp.

This species seems to feed readily on the soft scale
insects such as Black Scale Parasaissetia nigra and the close relatives.

In the
above pictures, the ladybird came to examine the Black Scale and encountered
an ant. When the ladybirds hunt for scale insects, they will encounter different
species of ants. Those ants come for the honey-dew from the scale
insect. The ladybird helmet shape of wing-covers protect them those ants. They
sit with legs and antenna hidden under the wing-covers. The ants just cannot
do anything about them.

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Last updated: October 15, 2010.